; It’s the least known branch of government.; The justices lean right, not left.; Their decisions affect you.Do You Know Who Works Here?They Can Change Your Lifehe late Chief JusticeWilliam H. Rehnquist,strolling outside theSupreme Court sev-eral years ago, wasflagged down by tour-ists seeking directionsto Georgetown—they had no idea whoRehnquist was.His successor, John G. Roberts Jr., iseven less well known. A recent surveyby the Pew Research Center found thattwice as many people knew the host ofthis year’s World Cup (South Africa) asknew Roberts’ name.The chief justice, at the apex of thejudiciary system, is one of the mostpowerful people in the country. Yetdespite this pivotal role in society, theSupreme Court and the lower courts arethe least-known branch of the federalgovernment. The Supreme Court, forexample, is regarded by most people asmiddle-of-the-road and becoming moreliberal, the Pew survey found, a head-

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scratching misperception of a high courtdominated by Republican appointees.In this cloak of near anonymity, the Su-preme Court will decide cases in the com-ing months with real impact on workerrights, investor protections, health careand other issues that a;ect the personalfinances and lives of older Americans.“The Supreme Court is spending moreof its time in recent years on pocket-book issues that a;ect us all, and to agreater and greater extent the Robertscourt is tilting away from workers andretirees,” said Simon Lazarus, publicpolicy counsel for the National SeniorCitizens Law Center.A new dynamic this session comeswith new justice Elena Kagan, markingthe first time three women have servedon the court. But she is not likely tochange its ideological bal-ance. Five of the justiceswere appointed by Repub-lican presidents, four byDemocrats, almost the sameratio as for all federal judges, accordingto the Alliance for Justice, a left-leaningpublic interest group.